1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to retail product containers having a handle for easy transport. More particularly, the present invention relates to a retail product container that provides a handle integrated into a product container.
2. Description Of The Related Art
Retail product containers are available in a variety of different forms and can be manufactured using many different types of material. One of the most common materials used for manufacture of product packaging is cardboard, which is relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, by providing a particular set of cuts and folds, the cardboard blank can be easily assembled into a wide variety of configurations. Cardboard is a strong and durable material, making it desirable for retail product containers, which must endure the rigors of transport and retail sale. As a result, cardboard is a commonplace material used in packaging of a wide variety of different retail products.
Even though cardboard can be used to provide a retail product container for a vast array of retail products, as the weight of the product increases the consumer may have difficulty in carrying the packaged product. Therefore, prior art solutions have been known to provide one or more handles incorporated into retail product containers, especially containers manufactured from cardboard. These handles make the transport and carrying of the retail products much easier.
The simplest solution for providing a handle in a container is to cut one or more holes or openings into the top or sides of a cardboard container to provide handles. This allows a person to insert his or her hands into the holes to hold, support, and carry the container. However, this solution can be problematic, as it permits a person to touch or contact the interior contents of the container. This subjects the product to potential tampering. Furthermore, in many situations, the size or configuration of the container may make positioning of one or more handles impracticable, such as when a pair of cut-outs are spaced at distances that do not allow a person to carry the container normally.
Other handle solutions involve the use of plastic handles that either attach to the exterior of the box or are partially integrated into the assembled box. The plastic handle connected to the exterior of the box is one simple design known in the prior art. It entails providing a plastic handle with its respective ends affixed or installed onto opposing side walls of the retail product container. The plastic handle extends upward, above the top of the box, allowing a consumer to carry the container with little difficulty. Unfortunately, because the plastic handle is pre-installed on the exterior of the retail product container, it makes regular, box-shaped containers more difficult to stack onto one another, as the plastic handle gets in the way. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a handle for a retail product container that does not interfere with other containers or otherwise extend beyond the ordinary dimensions of the container when stacked.
Other prior art solutions integrate simple or complex plastic handle inserts or assemblies into the container walls or into one or more upper flaps. For example, one simple solution is to provide a plastic strap that is loosely provided on the upper surface of a first upper flap. A second upper flap is provided with a hole so that when the second upper flap is folded over onto the first upper flap, the hole provides access to the plastic strap which may be used as a handle. Other configurations utilize plastic handle assemblies integrated into the product packaging. However, all of these configurations have the disadvantage of requiring a complex, and costly, manufacturing process and incorporate multiple materials, i.e. cardboard and plastic. It would be advantageous to provide a handle solution for a cardboard container that does not require the utilization of a plastic strap to act as a handle. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide a handle configuration that is tamper-resistant.